The Buzzcocks 30th Anniversary
"Flat-Pack Philosophy"
Irving Plaza
New York City
June 12, 2006
By Wayne
(SugarBuzz NYC)
News of a band’s 30th Anniversary is often likely to put me in mind of someone like The Who and their turgid output decades long after they should’ve packed it in, so anyone can be excused for an initial attitude of cynicism. However, in this most unusual case, The Buzzcocks are celebrating their third decade with a new release “Flat-Pack Philosophy” that rates with their very best while at the same time they have hit the road with a vengeance rarely seen in outfits averaging half the age of original members and guiding lights Pete Shelley and Steve Diggle. The Cocks have reached yet another plateau in a long, distringuised career that shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon.
“Flat Pack Philosophy” is their 6th long-player not including the singles collection (“Singles Going Steady”) and it’s their third album since returning to the game after a long hiatus. Surpassing the heights hinted at and in large part achieved on the previous “Modern”, this one is a perfect bullseye as well as being a completely unexpected triumph and a pleasure as good as anything I’ve heard yet this year. A year coincidentally when many bands, patterned after the essential style invented and perfected by the Buzzcocks, seem to be ruling the charts with a watered-down, mostly passionless and compromised copy.
But there’s nothing compromised on FPP. 14 tracks without a slow one nor even a mid-tempo number for that matter and real songs too, no mere riffs, sketches or imitations these, but rather song craft to equal the best of Shelly’s career. Most notably the single “Wish I Never Loved You” and the Power-Pop styled “I’ve Had Enough” rate alongside anything this band has ever done, and Diggle while always good for a track or two delivers five great ones (to Shelly’s 9) including one of the records highlights (“everybody shakes to the) Sound Of A Gun”.
In Tony Barber the band has not only a superb, fluid bass-player who has now been in the line-up longer than original bassist Steve Garvey (thanks Chris) but also his Production here manages to both maintain the original sound and vision of the early releases, while simultaneously bringing things up-to-date with subtle touches that continuously excite aural nerves without overwhelming the songs needlessly. Listen to the psychedelic passage which ends “Wish I’d Never” featuring Barber’s brilliant bass playing and hear a band performing at the peak of their powers while continuing to move ahead and explore new possibilities at the same time.
So with this hot new release, The Buzzcocks hit New York City (nearly 27 years after their exciting local debut at the Palladium on Dec. 1, 1979 headlining a bill that included The Fall and The Sports) for what will be the first of several local stops over the summer beginning with this Sold Out show at Irving Plaza, which were opened by a pair of worthy bands in Hollywood’s The Adored who they’ve brought along on most of the tour and local rockers The Choke each of whom went over well and deserved to.
The Buzzcocks literally exploded into their set pounding out the nine chord intro to “Flat Pack Philosophy” before the curtains had begun to raise apparently taking everyone by surprise they didn’t waste a single second before immediately charging into the new single and then continuing on without pause performing a good healthy portion of the new release no doubt secure in the knowledge that these songs could stand on their own power much as the more familiar selections to come.
Played wonderfully LOUD and delivering a physical blow with every beat they sounded like a band with something to prove which is exactly what they did transforming what can sometimes be a jaded New York crowd into a frothing, pogoing mass that didn’t let up a bit till the final encore.
At least half of the new album was played before they attempted any of the “hits” but then they came even faster and more furious than previous with “I Don’t Mind”, “What Do I Get?”, “Ever Fallen In Love”, “Time‘s Up“, “I Believe“, “Mad Mad Judy“, “Noise Annoys”, “Autonomy”, “Boredom”, BAM BAM BAM one erupting into another with the crowd lifting higher and higher right along with the band in that perfect symbiosis that occurs when performance, audience, venue, booze and drugs all merge into the perfect Rock & Roll High.
It should be noted that while drummer Phil Barker once again performed on the new disc, these live shows introduced a powerhouse new drummer Danny Farrant to the line-up.
After the show ended they continued to work at ‘Buzzcocks Afterparty 2’, a meet and greet on Second Avenue at the Lit Lounge. The very next night it was ‘Buzzcocks Nite‘ at Manitobas, Handsome Dick’s superb saloon on Avenue B with the band again in attendance and Tony Barber spinning records. It was also announced the band will be back in town to play the Warsaw in Brooklyn a mere two weeks ahead on July 12th, once again part of a seemingly inhuman touring schedule that includes participation in the annual Warped Tour on which I expect them to blow most of the competition off the stage and generally show folk how it’s done!
What a rarity it is to have one of the trailblazers of Punk Rock not only back in action but more importantly fully firing on every cylinder, this my friend is as good as it gets so don’t miss ‘em if you have the chance and if not be sure to pick up “Flat Pack Philosophy” and be amazed. Loud and Fast Rules!